FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT ZINEDINE ZIDANE - PAGE 3

L'Equipe, the French daily sports newspaper, is famous for summing up momentous events on its front page with large one-word headlines followed by an exclamation point. I'll help the L'Equipe editors with the mot juste--the right word--to sum up Sunday's World Cup final: HONTEUX! Translation: DISGRACEFUL! That adjective applies equally to French legend Zinedine Zidane and to a sport that allows its world championship to be decided by penalty kicks, as Italy's victory over France was. Zidane's entire career has been sullied by what he did in the last game before his announced retirement, getting ejected for a malicious head butt of an Italian opponent in overtime.

(Reuters) - Steven Gerrard is second only to Zinedine Zidane in terms of his world-class status, says former England and Liverpool striker Michael Owen. Gerrard, the current England and Liverpool captain, has recently converted to playing a deeper role for his club, a transformation that is paying dividends and should offer food for thought for England boss Roy Hodgson, according to Owen. "I have played alongside some of the greatest footballers of my generation, but there is only one ex-team mate I would rate higher than Steven Gerrard," he said in the Daily Telegraph.

1. Sports overload It was hard to keep track of all the local sports action Sunday, but it's good to see Vijay Singh (right) rally in injury time against the Red Sox to take the checkered flag in the Milwaukee Sheetrock 400. 2. Next steps Was this the last we'll see of Zinedine Zidane? It is until he appears in "Zidane & Me," Thursdays at 9 on ABC! 3. Pain games With the World Cup over, we turn to the Cubs, which is to say we take our eyes off some fake injuries and stare blankly at some real ones.

No Chicago baseball, football, hockey, basketball or soccer. Around here it's quieter than the delivery room of Tom Cruise's baby. 2. Let's go, losers A Harris poll asked baseball fans to choose their favorite teams. The Yankees were No. 1 followed by the Mets, Braves, Cubs and Red Sox. All teams without a 2005 World Series win. 3. Trade talks AL teams won 61 percent of 2006 interleague games, sparking rumors that the NL wants to deal the Cubs to Japan. 4. Footloose The World Horseshoe Pitching Tournament is under way in Gillette, Wyo. In related news, thousands of Wyoming horses woke up in Nikes.

Sunday is the start of the title defense of the Chicago Rush--but no hurry. 2. Rush job If they're casting a movie on the Rush, I'm signing David Koechner (Champ Kind in "Anchorman") to play coach Mike Hohensee. 3. He's a scratch Someone tell me why Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers has an NBA blog. Maybe I just have something against fleas in general. 4. Lasordid details Tommy Lasorda denied reports about alleged dalliances with a madam, and I don't think my stomach can handle any more news than that.

That was one of the hardest head butts I have ever seen in my life. From the World Wrestling Federation to movies to any sporting event or bar fight I've ever witnessed, Zinedine Zidane's head butt in the final against Italy takes the cake. Just how much it will tarnish the legacy of one of the greatest players of all time is up for debate. The incident will have a sort of Eric Cantona effect--Cantona was the player who kicked a fan back in the 1990s. But this head butt could propel Zidane to another level when it comes to rebellious reputations.

Zinedine Zidane made a penalty kick with three minutes left in overtime as World Cup champion France beat Portugal 2-1 Wednesday to reach the final at the European Soccer Championship. After Portugal's Abel Xavier used his left hand to block Sylvain Wiltord's angled shot, Zidane stepped up to shoot the ball into the top corner and out of goalkeeper Vitor Baia's reach. "In the last minute, it was tough to concentrate," said Zidane, who scored twice in the 1998 World Cup final.

Theismann off Monday games The Joe Theismann-Tony Kornheiser chemistry experiment has ended after one awkward season. ESPN will replace Theismann on "Monday Night Football," according to an industry source. The likely replacement is ESPN's Ron Jaworski, although the network also recently hired Bill Parcells and Emmitt Smith as studio analysts. A source said ESPN based its decision on performance issues, likely stemming from the tension created by the Theismann-Kornheiser pairing.

Brazil ended Ghana's scrappy World Cup debut Tuesday with three streaking goals, the first an early flash by Ronaldo that made him the most prolific scorer in tournament history. Ronaldo got his 15th World Cup goal in the fifth minute -- putting him past German Gerd Mueller as the tournament's all-time leading scorer -- and Adriano and Ze Roberto added one each to give Brazil the 3-0 win. Ghana made Brazil work for its 11th straight World Cup win, challenging the five-time champions and outplaying them at times, but their shots were either off the mark or well within reach of goalkeeper Dida.

"Partisan politics must not prevail." --Rhode Island Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee, after defeating a conservative challenger in the GOP primary. Chafee said the vote sends a message across the nation that moderate Republicans are "alive and kicking." "Such blatant disregard for human life and potential undertaken by insurgents who callously ask to be called mujahedeen [holy warriors] cannot be more clear." --NATO spokesman Maj. Luke Knittig, pointing out that 151 of the year's 173 suicide attack victims in Afghanistan were civilians, including children "They say it's not over till the fat girl sings.